Clever Girl

Acrylic on canvas.

40x30"

Robert Muldoon was quietly my hero from Jurassic Park. I say quietly, because after a few weird looks I realized other kids think it's weird you like the guy who died in the end. Well to be fair, he's the physical man in charge of the island whereas Nedry is the tech side and Hammond is just the face. I'll die on this hill! We open the movie with Muldoon not only experiencing the gravity of this island first hand, but also witnessing it'll be difficult to rely on other people here. Not to say he's fearless, but he prioritizes survival over it. Now you could argue that Alan was the hero because he saved the kids but I'd say he put them in relatively more danger. Initially at the paddock, he had the right instinct and got away from the T-rex but why not stay in the perch of the tree til someone comes? And who showed up? Robert Muldoon. What about Satler, you ask? She's the smartest person on the island but I wouldn't say the hero, maybe. She made the best decisions every time and did her best to take people with there, but Muldoon was tasked. Either by himself or Hammond, but he made decisions he really didn't have to for the sake of others.

In the long of it, I think he made one of the most quotable lines in cinematic history when he whispered, "Clever girl". Again, not showing his fear, but showing respect. Knowing the intelligence of the creature and still falling victim to it. I have to think he went in thinking he was going to shoot one and think of it as the greatest trophy in his mind. Putting his ego slightly above his own logic. And noble to the end, realized his demise. I wanted to capture that moment and have all the giddiness of dinosaur excitement like we had as kids. I know way more species of dinosaurs than I should and it wasn't from school or books. It was this god damn movie and it's merch. I wanted an image that captured the fun of the movie and not so much the gore or the fears. Because as a kid I didn't sense that. Sure it was scary to a degree, but I think it unsettles me more now as an adult than it ever did as a kid.
I bright in alot of birght hot colors on one side of his face and tried to contrast that with cooler shades and merry the middle with a balance that shows how weird a jungle can be. One second you're blanketed in darkness, the next stark direct sunlight. Bringing in bouncing light from the skin and accenting sweat beads. I also snuck a bit of an eye over his gun to show another hiding raptor flanking him.